Jason Stoakes and his children, Ben, Jake and Jennifer take a bike ride around the neighborhood last week. / Jay Pickthorn / Argus Leader

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Tim Burnison (front) and Mike Rechtenbaugh take part May 18 in Bike to Work Day at the Museum of Visual Materials in Sioux Falls. / Argus Leader file photo

SATURDAY

Participants can enjoy the fully opened Sioux Falls bike trail. There will be family and kids’ activities at several parks along the trail. Each designated park will be a fun destination where riders can stretch, get something to eat or drink, and chat with neighbors and organizations about fitness and wellness opportunities throughout Sioux Falls. Saturday culminates in a party on the River Greenway with music, food and activities. • 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

BillionAuto.com Tailgate. After grabbing your lunch, head outside and enjoy the scenery of Falls Park. Plenty of tailgate seating and games will be provided. • 3 to 6 p.m.

Fun on the River Greenway, brought to you by Scheels. Check out our featured exhibitors and enjoy live entertainment by Phil Baker. 6 to 8 p.m.

Celebration at River Greenway Amphitheatre The Raven Industries Celebration at the River Greenway Amphitheatre. Live entertainment by the DNR Band, food, beverages, and prize giveaways.

SUNDAY

Sioux Falls will host its first-ever Cyclovia*; a Spanish word meaning to open city streets to bicycles. This open street event is a great way to encourage people to adopt healthier, active transportation habits. From 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., the Cyclovia route from Falls Park through the downtown business district will be closed to vehicular traffic giving participants the opportunity to explore downtown by any non-motorized means. 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Event on streets ... no motor vehicles.

Social scavenger hunt to take people around downtown Sioux Falls. Clues will be provided at packet pickup Friday and Saturday. 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Billionauto.com Kids Bike race.

Kids are invited to test their speed on the bike trail on Phillips Avenue between Fifth and Second Street. Race divisions will include tricycle, Strider, training wheels, and no training wheels. Ages 2-8 are eligible to participate. Registration is free, but must complete a waiver and release of liability agreement. All finishers will receive a medal and a bottle of Nesquick. 10 a.m. to noon Strider adventure Zone

Strider adventure Zone provided by Spoke-N-Sport. A safe and friendly environment that encourages kids 18 months to 5 years old to explore mobility on two wheels and experience the challenge and thrill of riding on unique terrain and obstacles. 11 a.m. to noon Tour Sioux Falls Bicycle rodeo

Tour Sioux Falls Bicycle rodeo at the Carnegie Town Hall parking lot at 10th and Main. Bring your bicycle and test your bicycling skills on the obstacle courses. Learn how to fit a bicycle helmet and have a bicycle safety check. 11 a.m. to noon Reuel Erickson

Reuel Erickson. Stop by the Tour Sioux Falls Bicycle rodeo and meet former pro-BMX rider Reuel Erickson. Reuel will be there to talk about his career, educate kids about the importance of bicycle safety, and sign autographs. Bicycle Tractor Pull, Wheelie Contest, and Tire Changing Contest

Nyberg's Ace ice cream social at the Farmers Market shelter in Falls Park. All registered participants and volunteers are invited to our ice cream social. Come down to Falls Park and enjoy a complimentary root beer float. Your wristband or volunteer t-shirt is your ticket. We will also have our final prize giveaways and the drawing for our grand prize. *Cyclovìa, which translates from Spanish into English as “bike path,” is a term for the closing of city streets to motor vehicles for the enjoyment of cyclists and public alike. Cyclovia is not pronounced “sigh-CLO-vi-a.” It’s a Spanish-style “sick-lo-VEE-ah.”

Packets available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the Sioux Falls Sports Authority office at 200 N. Phillips Ave. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the south entrance of Cherapa Place on the Riverfront Greenway. On-site registration will open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the Sioux Falls Sports Authority office at 200 N. Phillips Ave., and will continue 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturdayat the south entrance of Cherapa Place and at the Sanford Sports Complex. Refunds and transferring registrations:

Registration fees are nonrefundable. To transfer a registration, the new owner of the registration must complete a manual registration form and waiver at packet pickup. Prizes:

ONLINE

For more information and details about Tour Sioux Falls, go to TourSiouxFalls.com.Follow Patrick Lalley’s blog with more coverage of the TSF leading up to the weekend and through the two-day festival at ArgusLeader.comThrough the TSF weekend, get the latest in photos, video and stories from the riders and volunteers at ArgusLeader.com

In this file photo, Sioux Falls cyclists take part part in nationwide event, The Ride of Silence, which honors people killed or injured riding bicycles. The ride started at Fawick Park. / Emily Spartz / Argus Leader

I say that not just because the coming weekend is the inaugural Tour Sioux Falls, a two-day festival of biking our city, but because I see it every day.

Yes, we have the bike trail, a 20-mile loop along the Big Sioux River that is the core of the events Saturday. It was a 50-year project from conception to completion that highlights many of the best parts of our city.

But you probably already know that, because I see you using it. On a recent pleasant Saturday afternoon, Ms. Hyphenation and I did roughly a half loop and back, stopping for refreshment back on the west side. The trail was packed from corner to corner with people on bikes of all types. Walkers and runners and bladers and dudes on skateboards were there, too, but mostly it was bikes.

It’s more than the bike trail, however. I see people on bikes wherever I go. As a bicycle commuter and enthusiast maybe I’m a bit, shall we say, sensitive to the issue.

But I also know that more people are combining bikes with bus travel.

I know that our four fine bike shops all are busy.

I hear about all the successful organized, or thrown together, bike rides around the area. Some of them I even get to ride.

I see many people riding to work and to school. In fact, there’s a whole population of our city for whom the bike is an important mode of transportation.

That’s a good thing.

In many ways, this city was made for biking. It’s pretty flat, but not perversely so. There are hills to keep you interested. It’s basically round, which means it’s not that tough to ride all the way across.

Our roads are pretty good. And if you don’t like riding the busy ones, alternative routes are abundant.

There’s no denying it, this is a bike town.

Sometimes we just don’t realize how many of us there are.

This weekend is a perfect chance to find out.

Saturday, as mentioned, is Bike Trail day with festivities to follow along the new Riverfront and around Cherapa Place.

Sunday is the Cyclovia, which means we’re shutting down parts of downtown so there’s no car traffic, just bikes and walkers and strollers and such.

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If the simple idea of spending a couple days with lots of smiling people isn’t enough, here are 10 reasons why you should show up for Tour Sioux Falls.

PRIZES

Don’t let this key point get lost in the all the other fun — you could win fabulous prizes just for riding your bike. How cool is that? The top prize is a two-year lease on a 2013 Kia Soul, but that’s not all. There also are drawings for gift certificates to local bike shops, tickets to the Summit League basketball tournament, Sanford Wellness Center memberships and other stuff.

Now, to be eligible for the prizes, you must register for the ride. If you haven’t done that already, you can go to toursiouxfalls.com to get the details, but rest assured it’s affordable and easy. When you pick up your packet for the ride, you’ll get some cool stuff and a “passport.” The passport gets stamped at various stops along the way and is your entry in the drawing.

So the more you ride, the more you win.

EASY FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

You sign up once and you and your family are taken care for the whole weekend. That means you not only get to ride but you get all the food and beverages and general support that comes with it. There’s a lunch and snacks along the way Saturday. Sunday’s cyclovia concludes with an ice cream social at Falls Park. Nyberg’s Ace Hardware is sponsoring the ice cream event, which is approrpiate, as it was Roy Nyberg who had the vision for the bike trail and the greenway in the 1960s. I only met Roy a couple times, but I bet he’d think this was pretty neat deal.

BIKES

Let’s be honest — bikes are cool. On Tour Sioux Falls you’re sure to see all kinds. Road bikes, mountain bikes, cruisers, tandems, recumbents and beat-up old Schwinns. The beauty of bikes is that it doesn’t matter what color it is shape it’s in, if you can ride it, you’re in. What’s true for the bikes is true for the rider. We are, after all, a reflection of what we ride. You don’t need a bright jersey to ride in Tour Sioux Falls. Come as you are. If you’re OK with a 20-year-old Grateful Dead T-shirt, so are we. You’ll probably find somebody with a matching lycra jersey. Padded shorts? If you need to. Jean shorts? If you must. Time trial skinsuit? I’m leaving mine at home.

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COOL RACERS

On Saturday morning at Yankton Trail Park, there will be a demonstration of criterium racing. There will be two races — a B race at 10 a.m., then an A race at 10:45 a.m. during which riders will compete on a closed circuit of pavement. The races are for a specific period of time, 30 or 45 minutes, and riders will hit speeds of more than 30 mph. The loop is adjacent to the bike trail in the park, so you’ll be able to stop and watch for a while during the ride. It’s a great opportunity to see highly trained athletes give it their all while getting a real feel for the excitement of bike racing.

FOOD

There will be plenty to eat and drink along the way. On Saturday, there will be five rest stops along the trail and lunch at Falls Overlook Café. It’s all included in your registration. Vendors will sell food and beverages — both for children and adults — during Saturday afternoon’s festivities on the Riverfront. You can take advantage while downtown of the many restaurants and night spots within easy biking range.

CLOSED STREETS

For anybody who’s ever ridden a bike in the city, there’s little better than a street to yourself. That’s what Sunday is all about. We’re closing down 2.8 miles of core downtown streets to ride our bikes and get to know each other better. This isn’t a race — though there are kids races — it’s a moving, breathing community festival. It’s a chance to get outside, slow down a little and celebrate living the healthy way. Breath deep. Feel good. There’s nothing to worry about.

FREEDOM

A bike is freedom. It loosens the bonds of gravity ever so slightly to let you glide along the pavement or dirt or mud or whatever you prefer. It’s not restricted by gas prices or emission control or the EPA or your boss. It’s just you and the people you like outside having fun. That’s what we’re all about here on the Northern Plains. Independence. We’re bike people.

EXCERCISE

How many times have you heard you need more exercise? Your spouse, your kids, your doctor, the guy selling you ice cream? It’s all the time anymore. Well the bike is the perfect chance. So dust off the 10-speed, fella, and get out there. You’re not getting any younger.

SUPPORT

So you’re concerned about riding the full loop? First of all, you don’t have to. You always can turn around and go home, but what fun is that? It’s 20 miles. You can do it, even if takes all day. The good thing is you’re not alone. Plenty of other people just like you will be out there, and there are five rest stops. Giving the bike a good once-over is recommended, but it’s not like you’re riding across South Dakota. You won’t even leave the city limits.

IT'S A BIKE TOWN

You’re going to want to be part of this. Because this is a bike town, and Tour Sioux Falls is only going to get bigger. You’ll want to be part of the first one for sure.

Patrick Lalley is managing editor of Argus Leader Media. He will be on the trail and the streets and maybe even racing a little during Tour Sioux Falls. If you see him, say hi. If you don’t, you can reach him at plalley@argusleader.ocm